The New Girl
by qwerty-kitties
Summary: COMPLETE - When a new girl arrives at PS118 Helga decides to show her who's boss.  But the new arrival has other plans. - OLD FIC written over 10 years ago.  My style was a little different then.
1. Chapter 1

**PART 1:**

**THE ARRIVAL**

"Oh boy. Fresh meat," Helga sneered as Mr. Simmons introduced the new student to the class.

"Class, this is Gwendolyn Pierce. Her family just moved here last week and I want you all to be nice to her and make her feel welcome," he said. The class said their 'hello's' and Mr. Simmons gave Gwen the seat next to Phoebe.

Helga studied the new girl. She was about as tall as Sheena, but not as skinny. She wasn't fat, just bigger. She looked to be about the size of Big Patty. Helga wasn't sure she liked that. She had a funny feeling about this girl.

Class was about to continue when Principal Wartz came to the door.

"Mr. Simmons, may I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Principal Wartz." He turned to his students. "Class, I'm just going to be outside in the hall. You can talk among yourselves but please keep it down." He then stepped out into the hall and closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, the kids turned and talked to their friends. Arnold, of course, called over to the new girl.

"So, where are you from?" he asked.

"A city about 50 miles from here. My parents just split and my mom decided it would be better if we started fresh in a new place," Gwen answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. My folks were always fighting. At least this way, I'll get some peace and quiet."

"Yeah, yeah. That's all well and good, but let's get down to business, shall we?" Helga interrupted. She turned to Gwen. "Now then, just so you know, us girls run things around here. More specifically, _I_ run things around here. If you're lucky, I'll let you hang around with me and Phoebe."

At the mention of her name, Phoebe smiled and waved shyly. Gwen glanced at her, then turned back to Helga. She grinned slyly. Helga didn't care for it much.

"Is that so?" Gwen asked in a low voice. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we? We'll just see."

Helga and Phoebe exchanged a worried glance. The whole class heard what Gwen had said and Arnold turned to Gerald.

"What do you think she meant by that?" he asked his friend.

"I don't know. But did you see the look on Helga's face?" Gerald laughed.

"I don't like this, Gerald."

"Oh, come on, Arnold! Helga deserves to get bullied for a change. Then maybe she'll see how the rest of us feel when SHE does it."

"I don't know, Gerald. No one deserves to be picked on. Not even Helga."

Gerald would have loved to argue about this, but at that moment Mr. Simmons returned.

"I'm sorry for that little interruption, class. Now where were we?" he asked, going back to the chalkboard. That's when the trouble started.

Gwen leaned over to Phoebe.

"Hey, four eyes, got a pencil?" she whispered. Phoebe was shocked. She didn't know what to say.

". . . I . . . . uh . . ." she stammered.

"Nevermind. I'll just take this one!" Gwen said and snatched the pencil from Phoebe's hand. Helga was furious.

"You give that back to her right now and I might decide to let you live!" she said through clenched teeth. Gwen glanced over at her and smiled evilly.

"Anything you say, Pinkie," she said sweetly and broke the pencil in two. She then placed the pieces on Phoebe's desk.

"Thanks for the loan, four eyes!" she laughed.

Phoebe was near tears. No one had ever done anything like that to her in her entire life. Helga was fuming. She was about to say (or do) something to Gwen when the lunch bell rang. As the kids stood to leave, Gwen reached over and knocked Phoebe's books to the floor.

"Hey!" Phoebe exclaimed and bent over to retrieve her things.

"You're such a klutz, four eyes!" Gwen said, laughing. Helga had had enough. She stepped forward and shoved Gwen into the wall.

"Leave her alone!" she yelled.

"You gonna make me, Pinkie?" Gwen asked, raising her fists. Just as Helga raised hers, Mr. Simmons stepped between them.

"Girls! I'm surprised at both of you! I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you both detention after school today for fighting," he said sternly.

The two girls glared at each other for a moment, then turned away. Gwen left for the cafeteria and Helga turned to help Phoebe.

"You okay, Phoebs?" she asked as she helped her friend collect her things. Phoebe looked up and Helga noticed some tears had leaked from her eyes. This made Helga mad all over again.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, Helga. Why was she being so mean?" she asked, standing. Helga shrugged.

"Beat's me. Maybe she's just a jerk." Helga grabbed her own books and the two headed out the door.

Phoebe had just cleared the doorway and Helga was about to walk through when a foot appeared, tripping her. She hit the floor hard, and her books scattered. She looked up and saw such a look of fear on Phoebe's face, that she knew who had tripped her. She turned her head to the right and confirmed her suspicions.

"Sister, you are getting off on the wrong foot with me," Helga growled at Gwen. She was just getting up when Gwen grabbed her by the collar and yanked her to her feet.

"I think you're as big a klutz as your geeky little friend, there," she sneered into Helga's surprised face. She then turned and slammed Helga into the lockers. "Things are gonna change around here, Pinkie. No one messes with me. NO ONE!" Gwen slammed Helga into the lockers once more and released her collar. At that moment, Mr. Simmons poked his head through the door.

"What's going on out here?" he asked. Gwen immediately looked innocent and turned to him.

"Nothing, Mr. Simmons. I was just helping Helga up. She tripped."

"Is this true, Helga?" he asked, looking at her. Helga was about to answer when Gwen turned and shot a look at her. _Tell him anything and you'll live to regret it, _it said. Helga swallowed, hard. She nodded.

"Yeah, I tripped. The floor must be uneven or something," she said nervously. Gwen smiled approvingly. Mr. Simmons looked concerned.

"I've never noticed the floor being uneven, Helga. Are you sure?"

"Oh, well, maybe my feet are uneven! Or maybe I'm just hungry, I'll go and take care of that right now!" Helga said as she gathered her books. Then she took off like a shot toward her locker, followed closely by Phoebe.

"That is so odd," Mr. Simmons commented. "Helga had never acted like that before."

"Don't worry, Mr. Simmons. I'll keep an eye on her," Gwen offered sweetly. Mr. Simmons looked at her. There was a look on his face she didn't like, but then he smiled.

"Thank you, Gwen. Let me know if she does anything else out of the ordinary," he said.

"Oh, I will," she said, nodding. Mr. Simmons seemed satisfied and walked back into the classroom. Gwen turned and looked down the hall, after the other girls. She smiled meanly.

_I think I'm gonna like it here, _she thought. _I'm gonna like it just fine._

She started walking down the hall, towards Helga and Phoebe as they stood at Helga's locker.

~End of Part 1~


	2. Chapter 2

**PART 2:**

**IT STARTS**

When Helga arrived at her locker, she noticed she was shaking. She had never experienced anything like that before in her life. Not even when Big Patty was going to pound her. Was she really scared of this new girl? Or had Gwen just caught her off guard? Helga pondered this as Phoebe arrived.

"Are you all right, Helga?" she asked, worriedly.

"Yeah. She just surprised me, that's all. Caught me off guard." Helga was still so shaken by what had happened, she didn't know if it was true or not.

"She certainly seemed angry."

"It was just dumb luck, Phoebs. She just better hope she never gets me angry," Helga said, hoping it sounded better than she felt. Her heart was still beating fast.

"Is that so?" a new voice asked from behind. Helga froze. She could sense Phoebe moving behind her, to the right, away from the owner of the voice. She had gone very pale.

"What happens when you get angry, Pinkie? Does that big, stupid looking bow spin? Huh?" Gwen asked, giving Helga a huge grin. To Helga it looked like the grin of a person gone insane.

"What about you, four eyes? Any comments?" Gwen looked at Phoebe and smiled wider. Phoebe was starting to tremble. "What's the matter, geek? Do I scare you?" she asked, and started walking toward the smaller girl.

_If she tries something, Phoebe won't stand a chance! DO SOMETHING! _Helga told herself. To her amazement, she found herself stepping between them.

"What's the matter? Can't pick on someone your own size?" she heard herself say. "Oh, that's right. You can't. The circus isn't in town!"

Helga winced inwardly and cursed her tongue. At times it got away from her, and sometimes (like now) it got her into trouble.

Gwen was staring at Helga with her mouth open. Apparently no one had ever said anything like that to her. _That's me, _Helga thought miserably. _Trend setter. Open mouth, insert both feet. _

But she had Phoebe to think about. A girl Gwen's size could really hurt Phoebe if she wanted to. At least Helga would have a fighting chance. She wasn't sure she could win if the two ever fought, but she would give as good as she got. She bravely stood her ground.

Gwen slowly regained her composure, and stepped forward. Now she and Helga were toe to toe. Gwen looked down into Helga's determined face. Then she smiled her evil grin again.

"Well, I guess if there's no one here my size," she hissed, "I'll have to take the next best thing."

"You're going to join the wrestling team?" Helga snapped. She just didn't know when to quit. Gwen's smile faded and she leaned forward, forcing Helga back against the lockers.

"You're a real comedian, you know that? A real laugh riot. Let's see how long you can keep it up," she growled. It took all of Helga's willpower to keep her from saying anything else.

Gwen stood there a moment longer, trying to read some sort of emotion in Helga's eyes. Fortunately, Helga was a master at hiding emotion. Outside, she was cool as a cucumber. Inside, on the other hand, she was scared to death.

When she didn't see what she had hoped to find, Gwen straightened, turned and started toward the cafeteria. She looked back once, possibly hoping that Helga had burst into tears. She hadn't. Gwen scowled and continued on her way.

Once Gwen was out of sight, Helga relaxed and slumped against the lockers. She slid down and sat with her head lowered, knees drawn up to her chin, taking deep breaths. Phoebe was there in an instant.

"Helga? _Helga_? Are you all right?" she asked, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. Helga was nodding.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She looked up and was relieved to see some color returning to Phoebe's face.

"What do you think she meant by that? 'Let's see how long you can keep it up'? You don't suppose she's planning something, do you?" Phoebe looked very worried. Helga shrugged and started to stand.

"I don't know, Phoebs," she answered, looking in the direction Gwen had gone. "I just don't know."

Helga finished at her locker and the girls went to have their lunch. As they entered the cafeteria, Helga made sure to keep an eye on Gwen. Getting tripped and threatened in the hallway with no one around was one thing, but she had a reputation to maintain. Being shown up by the new girl in front of everyone just wouldn't do.

The two girls got their lunches and sat at their usual table. Helga made sure Arnold was in her line of vision like she always does at lunch, and in doing so lost track of Gwen. She was beginning to think their new classmate had decided to have lunch outside when a full bowl of soup (luckily for Helga it wasn't hot) was spilled on her from behind.

"What do you think you're doing?" Helga screamed and jumped out of her seat. Warm soup was dripping down her collar. Her hair was plastered to her head in sticky clumps. There was a puddle forming beneath her. She had never felt so angry in her life.

And everyone was staring at her. _Everyone._

"Hey, don't get mad, Helga," Gwen said with wide eyes. "It was an accident. I tripped." She tried to sound hurt but to Helga she sounded mocking.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Helga launched herself at Gwen. She hit the big girl in the middle, sending them both sprawling. Then they were on the ground, rolling, biting, punching. A crowd of kids gathered around them, cheering.

Phoebe was terrified. But she had to do something. If Principal Wartz found them like this, they would be suspended. Besides, tough as Helga was, she was no match for the much larger, stronger Gwen.

Phoebe looked to her left and saw Harold, Arnold, Gerald and Stinky standing in a group, watching. She ran over to them.

"Come on! We've got to get Helga out of here!" she yelled over the noise. The boys just looked at her. Frustrated, she grabbed Stinky and Harold by their collars.

"MOVE IT!" she screamed into their faces. They jumped and ran toward the fighting girls. Phoebe shot a look at Arnold and Gerald and they quickly followed.

The boys had to push their way through the circle of kids and stopped when they reached the center. The floor was a mess. The soup that was spilled on Helga was everywhere. The girls were covered in it. There was also something else on the floor. Something _red_. Somebody was bleeding. The boys took action.

"Come on, break it up!" Gerald yelled and grabbed Helga's arm as Arnold took the other. Harold and Stinky got on the other side and grabbed Gwen. Each girl struggled with their captors as the boys strained to hold them back. The girls were still yelling at each other.

"Let go!" Helga ordered, blood dripping from her hurt nose. "She's got it coming!"

"Bring it on, Pinkie!" Gwen jeered. "BRING IT ON!"

Phoebe stepped in front of Helga and started steering her out the door. She kept glancing behind her to make sure Stinky and Harold still had hold of Gwen. The last thing she saw before the cafeteria doors closed was that hideous grin reappear on the big girl's face.

As the trio led her down the hall, Helga was still protesting.

"Let me go! I can take her!"

"Yeah, you were doing so well in there," Gerald said, rolling his eyes.

"So where exactly are we taking her?" Arnold asked.

"To the only person who can talk to her when she's like this," Phoebe answered and opened the library doors.

~End of Part 2~


	3. Chapter 3

**PART 3:**

**SAMMY'S HELP**

Sammy was sitting behind the counter, munching on her carrots and reading a paperback when the kids came rushing in. She looked up and saw Phoebe first.

"Hey, what's up Phoebs?" she asked, putting down her book. "Aren't you supposed to be at lunch right now?"

"Well, the reason I'm here . . . " Phoebe started, but was drowned out by someone yelling.

"LET GO! When I get through with you two chuckleheads, there won't be enough left for a doggie bag!"

Sammy recognized that voice instantly, and moved to the other side of the counter to see what was going on. Arnold and Gerald had Helga by either arm and were straining to pull her through the doors, but she had planted her feet and wouldn't budge.

"Come on, Helga! We're not letting you go back there! Gwen would KILL you!" Arnold told her. His face was a dark shade of red. Sammy rolled her eyes.

_What now?_ she thought as she shook her head. She saw that the boys were about to lose their grips, and moved quickly to help. She went around the three of them, and got behind Helga. Then she wrapped her arms around the girl's waist and lifted.

"Okay, boys. I've got her!" she told them as Helga's feet left the floor. They let go, and Sammy carried a still thrashing Helga into the library.

"Now you're going against me too? Some friend you are!" the girl yelled as Sammy took her to a nearby chair.

Sammy tightened her grip on Helga, then turned to the boys, who were still standing by the open doors.

"Close those doors! I don't want to have to chase her down if she bolts!" she called over Helga's protests. They nodded and each grabbed a door, pulling them closed. Then they stood there like sentries, waiting to see if Helga would run.

Sammy smiled._ Good boys, _she thought. _Very good boys._ Then she turned her attention back to the screaming girl in her arms. If she let go, Helga would probably just run. She leaned close to the girl's ear.

"If you don't stop it right now," Sammy told her in a low voice, "I will tell Arnold about your little, ahem, obsession."

Helga stopped struggling immediately. She looked around at Sammy with narrowed eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," she whispered. Sammy smiled slyly.

"Try me."

Helga looked at Sammy for a minute, trying to decide if the librarian meant it. Apparently, she did. Helga sighed.

"You don't fight fair," she said.

"Hey, life ain't fair. Get used to it," Sammy joked, and lowered her into a chair. "Okay, boys. I think the crisis is over. Come on in."

Arnold and Gerald looked at each other and slowly walked over to where Sammy stood over Helga. Phoebe had been watching the whole thing from her spot near the counter, and now she also joined them.

"Okay, who wants to start?" Sammy asked and looked at each kid in turn. Helga was sitting with her arms crossed, pouting. The boys looked at each other again, then up at Sammy.

"We don't really know what happened," Arnold told her. Gerald nodded.

"Yeah, all we know is, one minute everything's fine and the next, her and Gwen are going at each other."

"Who's Gwen?" Sammy asked, keeping an eye on Helga. The young blonde was starting to squirm in her seat, and Sammy didn't want her to sneak out as she and the other kids spoke.

"She's a new girl in our class," Arnold said. "She's pretty big."

"Then why on earth would these two be fighting?"

"Gwen accidentally spilled some soup on Helga at lunch," Arnold answered.

"No, she didn't."

Four heads turned to look at Phoebe. The small girl blushed slightly at being the center of attention, then stepped closer to the group.

"Wait a minute, back up," Sammy said, shaking her head. "I'm starting to get a headache. Okay now, Arnold says that this Gwen girl spilled soup on Helga, and you're telling me she didn't." She looked at Helga and shook her head again. "Well, somebody's got their wires crossed somewhere, boys and girls, because she's covered with what appears to be chicken noodle soup."

"Permit me to explain," Phoebe said. "While I agree that it was Gwen who spilled the soup, it is highly questionable to believe such an act was entirely accidental." The other kids were staring at her.

"She means Gwen did it on purpose," Sammy explained.

"Why would she do something like that?" Arnold asked, looking at Helga. She laughed nervously.

"What are you asking me for?" she asked. "How would I know?"

Sammy looked at Helga. She knew more than she was admitting to. She kept shooting quick glances at Phoebe, who looked even more nervous than her friend. Whatever these two knew, they didn't want the boys to know. Sammy understood and took control.

"Nevermind that now, boys. I've got a little job for you two," she said as she ushered the boys toward the doors. "I'm going to get Helga cleaned up and try to get to the bottom of this. What I want you guys to do is keep an eye on this Gwen. If the fight was as big as I think it was, Principal Wartz is probably at the cafeteria right now, questioning all the kids. Find out what everyone said and whether or not Gwen is planning to retaliate. Stop by after school and tell me what you found out."

"Okay, Sammy," Arnold said.

"You got it," Gerald agreed and saluted. Sammy saluted back and watched them head back to the cafeteria. Then she turned back to the girls.

"Okay, they're gone. You," she said, pointing to Helga, "off that chair and down to the locker room. Now! We're gonna get you cleaned up while Phoebe tells me all about your new classmate."

"But I don't have any clothes to change into."

"I'll take care of that," Sammy said and walked into the office behind the counter. She went to the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet and pulled out a tee-shirt and a pair of clean socks. "I don't have anything that will exactly fit you, but these will do until I can get your clothes washed."

Helga and Phoebe were staring at her.

"Why do you have clothes in your filing cabinet?" Phoebe asked, bewildered. Sammy shrugged.

"You never know when you're going to need them," she answered. "Now, come on. That soup is drying and dry chicken noodle soup is extremely hard to get out of hair." Helga was just opening her mouth to ask how she could possibly know something like that when Sammy raised a hand. "I grew up with two older brothers. Believe me, I know."

The three friends traveled to the locker room and Phoebe told Sammy the whole story as Helga showered. She told everything, starting with the incident in class and ending with what had happened at lunch.

The shower stopped a few minutes before Phoebe finished and Sammy had an idea that Helga was probably listening from the stall.

"Did anyone else see or hear her threaten you two?" Sammy asked after Phoebe was quiet.

"No. We were alone in the hallway when she did it," Phoebe answered.

"Besides," Helga called from the showers, "she never really came out and threatened us."

"Not in so many words, no," Sammy called back. "But the intent was very clear. I've got to hand it to her, she's clever. You can't tell anyone, because she'll just deny it. You've got no witnesses. It's just your word against hers and everyone knows what a bully Helga is. No offense, kiddo."

"None taken." Helga was just coming out, drying her hair. She had Sammy's tee-shirt on and it billowed around her as she walked. Sammy had to smile at the sight. Then she noticed Helga's nose was bleeding again.

"Uh, oh. Got a little leak there, kid," she said and pulled a tissue from her pocket. She cleaned the blood from under Helga's nose and produced a new tissue. "It must have started again from the humidity in here. Hold your head back."

Helga did and Sammy gave her the tissue to hold. Then she took the towel from Helga's hand, went behind her and finished drying the girl's hair as best she could. Phoebe held a hand up to hide a smile. The shirt Helga was wearing made her look about five years old, and Sammy was fussing over her as a mother would a daughter.

Sammy looked up and saw Phoebe smiling.

"What's so funny?" she asked, smiling herself. Phoebe shook her head.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"Oh."

When Helga's hair was almost dry, Sammy went to the canvas bag she had brought with them and fished out a hair brush and a plastic bag. She handed the bag to Phoebe.

"Would you gather her clothes and put them in here? I'll run down to the closest Laundromat and get them washed during my free period," she said.

"Okay."

Phoebe went into the showers and Sammy moved Helga to the bench. She sat the girl down and started brushing her hair.

"Phoebe didn't leave anything out, did she?" Sammy asked quietly. "I mean, you didn't do anything to this girl first, did you?" Helga was shocked.

"Are you saying this is all my fault?"

"No, I'm just asking if what Phoebe told me was the complete truth. I know you, Helga. You withhold information when it suits you. If this girl is picking on you because of something you did or said-" Helga stood up and whirled around.

"You ARE saying this is my fault! 'I'm mean old Helga, I always pick on everybody, it's always MY fault!' Well, maybe I did say something to her, but it's the same thing I say to ALL the new kids!" she shouted. She was trying very hard to hold back tears, without much success.

Sammy stood and looked Helga in the eyes.

"Okay."

"What?" Helga asked, confused.

"I said, 'okay'. I believe you, Helga."

Helga just stared at Sammy for a minute. Sometimes, she just couldn't figure the young librarian out. Sometimes, she made absolutely no sense at all.

"Well then, why . . ." she began. Sammy walked up to her and put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Helga, but I just had to make sure. I need to know the whole story before I can start to help you."

"Oh," Helga said, relaxing. Sammy didn't mean to make her angry, she just knew how to get information out of her. Sometimes she knew so much about Helga, it was scary.

"Okay, Phoebe, you can come out now. We're done yelling," Sammy called. Helga turned and watched her friend slowly walk out of the shower area, holding the plastic bag in one hand, and carrying Helga's shoes in the other.

"Here, Helga," she said quietly, and handed the girl her shoes.

"Thanks, Phoebs," Helga said, gently. Just then, the bell signaling the start of afternoon classes rang. It was very loud in the locker room and all three girls jumped. Phoebe looked at Sammy worriedly.

"Don't worry, Phoebs. I'll talk to Mr. Simmons. I'll tell him about Helga's little 'accident' at lunch, and see if I can get him to give you both a free period so you can actually eat something. I'll also see if I can get him to let her serve her detention in the library." She looked at the young blonde. "I don't want you and this Gwen person together for too long until I can talk to her and try to figure out why she's acting like this."

"Thanks, Sammy," Helga said, smiling. Sammy smiled back and gave the girls a quick hug.

"Hey, no problem," she said. "Nothing's too much for my favorite girls!"

They went to their classroom and the girls waited outside while Sammy spoke to Mr. Simmons. He agreed to let them stay with Sammy until they had eaten, then they would return to class. He also allowed Helga's detention to be worked off at the library, helping Sam. The librarian thanked him and led the girls to the cafeteria to retrieve their lunches. Then they headed back to the library, discussing their next course of action.

"So, what do we do until you talk to her?" Helga asked.

"Stay away from her. Some people were put on this earth simply to cause trouble. Maybe Gwen's one of them. She already knows how to push your buttons," she said, looking at Helga. "She's just trying to get a rise out of you. Just ignore her and don't let anything she says get to you."

"What if she goes after Phoebe again?"

"Don't give her the chance. Phoebe, stay as far away from her as possible. If it looks like she is going to try something, come to me. After Helga's detention, I'll take you both home," she told them as they entered the library.

The girls were feeling a little better as they sat at the counter and started eating. Sammy sat and ate with them, casually changing the flow of conversation to subjects a little less worrisome. By the time the girls left to return to class, they were feeling much calmer.

If they had known what would come next, they probably would have stayed in the library.

~End of Part 3~


	4. Chapter 4

**PART 4:**

**GWEN'S DEAL**

Helga and Phoebe returned to their classroom in better spirits than when they had left. Helga received some odd looks because of what she was wearing (Sammy had put a belt around Helga's waist, but that didn't hide the fact that she was wearing a big tee-shirt), but at least Gwen was nowhere to be seen.

_She's probably with Principal Wartz, _Helga thought, smiling. _Maybe this will keep her off of our backs for a while._

Class resumed and everything went all right for a while. Then Gwen returned. Helga could see Phoebe stiffen in front of her and laid a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Remember what Sam said," she whispered. "Stay away from her, don't let her bother you." Phoebe nodded as Gwen returned to her seat.

"Okay, class. Now that everyone's here, let's start our history lesson. Open your books to page 109," Mr. Simmons said and turned to the chalkboard once again.

Helga expected Gwen to take this opportunity to turn and say something to them, but she kept quiet for the rest of the class. At recess, Helga pounded a few kids for teasing her about her clothes and tried to concentrate on a game of kickball. The whole time, she kept an eye on Gwen and Phoebe. Phoebe was sitting on the bench and reading (as usual) and Gwen was sitting on the swings watching Helga. Needless to say, Helga couldn't keep her mind on the game.

"Helga, are you going to play or not!" Gerald called. Helga whirled around.

"Maybe beating the pants off of losers like you isn't challenging enough to me anymore! Maybe I should just sit this game out!" she shouted. Gerald threw his hands in the air.

"Whatever, Helga. Just make up your mind so we can get on with it," he said. Just as she was about to say something, Sammy came out with Helga's dress slung over her arm.

"Hey, guys. Don't mean to interrupt, but I've got a nice clean set of clothes for Helga. I thought she'd want to have them so you guys don't pick on her anymore. Besides, I want my tee-shirt back before she gets it filthy," she said with a wink and Helga smiled at her.

"You losers got lucky, this time!" she called to the other kids, then walked over to Sam. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Anytime, kiddo. Is that Gwen?" Sammy asked, pointing to the big girl with the long brown hair on the swings. Helga nodded. "You're a lot stronger than I thought. You went up against a girl her size and all you got was a bloody nose? Sheesh."

"Yeah, well, I was kinda mad at the time. You know, all that adrenaline," Helga replied and went inside to change. Sammy saw this as a good opportunity to go and talk to the new girl. She walked over to the swings and sat down on the one next to Gwen.

"Hi. I'm Sam." Gwen looked at her, then back towards the school doors.

"Where's she going?" she asked.

"To change. I ran her clothes out to be washed. She got soup all over them, somehow," Sammy said and looked at Gwen.

"'Somehow'? You mean she didn't tell you how?" Gwen asked sarcastically. Sammy had been right. This girl was clever.

"Well, maybe she did. But I like to hear both sides of the story. I know hers, what's yours?"

"I tripped. The soup spilled. She jumped me. Her friends dragged her away. End of story." She was lying. Sammy didn't know why, but she was.

"You mean you don't hate Helga? Or Phoebe? I heard you and Helga had a little tiff this morning and got detention because of it. That true?" Sammy asked, watching Gwen's face for her reaction. There was none. Sammy didn't like that.

"That was just a little misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh." There was something wrong here. Sammy had a funny feeling about this girl. She wasn't sure why, she just did. There was just something a little off about her.

But she had told Helga and Phoebe that she would talk to the girl. She had never lied to the girls before, and she didn't intend to start now. She tried again.

"So, do you miss your old school? And your friends?" she asked. Gwen turned and looked at Sammy with such an odd expression that Sam unconsciously leaned away from her.

"I'm sure they remember me. I'll bet they remember me very well," she said in a low voice.

Sammy was about to ask what she meant, when the bell rang. Kids ran to line up, and Gwen went to join them. Suddenly she stopped and turned to Sammy.

"I'm glad we had this little talk. We should do it again real soon," she said, and smiled. Phoebe would have known that grin. Now Sammy had a chance to see it. And she hated it just the same.

The kids returned to their classroom, and Sam was just coming inside when she met up with Helga. Her hair was still down, but she was dressed in her usual jumper again. She held out Sammy's tee and belt.

"Here you go. Thanks again," she said, then noticed the look on Sam's face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I had an interesting little talk with Gwen. Did you get a funny feeling when you met her?" Helga nodded. "Yeah, me too. She's very good at answering my questions without really answering my questions. I only know one thing from our talk. She's trouble." She thought. "I think she might be a little dangerous," she said quietly.

"That's nice to know."

"I'm serious, Helga. She's mean, that's bad enough, but she's also smart. That's what makes her so dangerous. Don't underestimate her. I want you and Phoebe to stay away from her. Don't look at her, don't talk to her, don't even breath around her. Keep your heads down and get to the library as fast as you can after the last bell rings. We'll figure out what to do then."

Helga nodded and Sammy took her to class, explaining to Mr. Simmons why she was late. Helga took her seat and class continued. Gwen was suspiciously quiet for the rest of the day, which both pleased and worried Helga.

Minutes before the last bell rang, Helga leaned forward and whispered in Phoebe's ear.

"As soon as the bell rings, get to the library as fast as you can. Don't stop at your locker, just go! I'll distract Gwen if she goes after you."

"But, Helga . . . " Phoebe started, sounding very worried.

"But nothing! Just do it!" Helga hissed. This was not the time to be nice. She wanted Phoebe away from Gwen.

The bell finally rang and Mr. Simmons' 4th grade class jumped up and ran out the door. Helga was glad to see that Phoebe was one of the first ones to leave. She grabbed her books and stood to go, but was forced back down in her seat by a pair of very strong hands. She looked up and wasn't too surprised to see Gwen staring at her with that grin on her face.

"Where'd the geek go, Pinkie? Did she run off to your babysitter friend?" she asked, digging her fingernails into Helga's shoulders.

"Maybe she ran off to the zoo to let them know that you've escaped," Helga replied. Gwen's fingernails dug deeper and Helga made a small noise in the back of her throat.

"What's the matter, Pinkie? Am I hurting you?" Gwen asked, smiling wider.

"Gwen, please come up here and take a seat," Mr. Simmons said. "Helga, you had better get down to the library to serve your detention."

"Yes, Mr. Simmons," Helga said and stood. She spared one last glance at Gwen and walked out the door.

Once she was in the hallway, Helga started shaking. That was too close. Sammy had told her not to say anything to Gwen, but as usual, her tongue got away from her. She just hoped Gwen wouldn't take it out on Phoebe.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her from behind and shoved her into the lockers. Hard. Then they seized her arms and spun her to face the attacker. She wasn't really surprised to see who it was.

"Hiya, Pinkie," Gwen hissed into Helga's face. There were a few other kids in the hallway, but they were turning a blind eye to the girls. Helga didn't blame them. Had the situation been reversed, she would have done the same thing. That's just the way things were done in school.

"Shouldn't you be . . ." Helga started, trying to sound calm. Gwen pushed her against a locker before she could finish.

"I told 'special boy' in there that I had to use the restroom. And I will. After I take care of some unfinished business," she said, smiling that hateful grin.

"Oh? And what business might that be?" Helga's heart was beating very fast. She had a feeling she already knew.

"You," Gwen growled and smiled even wider. "Seems I had a little visit from the busybody librarian. Friend of yours?"

Helga, for once, kept silent.

"I don't really like it when people go around talking about me behind my back. Kinda ticks me off. You know what I mean?" Helga nodded slowly.

"Good. Now, I'll make a little deal with you, Pinkie. I'll leave the little four-eyed geek alone, if you stop talking to your redheaded babysitter about me. This is none of her concern. This is just between you and me. Okay?" Gwen asked in a low voice. Helga thought about this.

_Sammy was right. She IS dangerous. But what choice do I have? I can handle her to a certain extent, Phoebe wouldn't last 5 minutes with her. If a deal keeps this freak off of Phoebe's back, then SOMETHING good will come of it._

"Okay, Gwen," she answered, nodding. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Glad you could see it my way, Pinkie." Gwen released Helga and turned toward the restrooms. "Besides," she said, turning back. "It will be a lot more fun pounding YOU than your little friend. I mean, where's the challenge there?" She laughed meanly and headed toward the bathrooms once again.

_What have I gotten myself into? _Helga thought miserably as she continued to the library. _Me and my big mouth!_

When she arrived at the library, Phoebe and Sammy rushed over to her. They had identical looks of worry on their faces, and Helga almost laughed at the sight.

"Helga, are you all right?" Phoebe asked, the fear evident in her voice. Helga didn't feel like laughing anymore.

"What happened? You were supposed to come here directly after the bell rang," Sammy asked worriedly. "Phoebe was almost in tears when she arrived. She said you told her to run here and you would distract Gwen. Did she stop you? Helga, talk to me!"

"Calm down, Sam." Helga was surprised at how calm she sounded, considering what she had just gone through. "As a matter of fact, Gwen and I did have a little talk. We made a little deal, and you can both relax. She won't be messing with Phoebe anymore. I made sure of that."

Phoebe had a look of pure shock on her face. Sammy looked suspicious.

"What kind of deal? What does she get out of it?" she asked. Helga shrugged.

"What difference does it make? Phoebe's off the hook, that's all that's important, isn't it? Now come on. I've got a detention to work off." With that, Helga walked over to the counter and started replacing the returned books.

Sam and Phoebe stood back a moment longer. They exchanged a questioning look and Sammy went to one knee to speak with the small girl.

"Well, it looks like you're in the clear, Phoebs," she whispered.

"Yes, it would appear so. But I am as curious as you about this deal Helga has made with Gwen. Any deal with such a girl could not be good," Phoebe whispered back. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, Gwen doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of girl to just agree to something without getting something else in return. Whatever Helga agreed to, she's not telling us."

"Why would she keep it a secret?"

"I don't know Phoebs. I just don't know," Sam answered, shaking her head. Helga had never kept any secrets from her before, why would she start now?

_What have you agreed to, Helga? And why won't you tell me?_

Helga was diligently putting books away when she noticed that Sam and Phoebe were still by the doors. They were whispering to each other and she had a pretty good idea what they were talking about. She didn't want either of them asking more questions, so she stirred up some anger to take care of things.

"HEY! Am I supposed to put ALL these books away myself, or what? How 'bout a little help?" she yelled, making them jump.

"Whatever happened, she obviously doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe we should just drop it for now," Sammy suggested. Phoebe nodded.

"Yes. Perhaps that would be the best course of action to take," she agreed.

The two went to help Helga return the books, still wondering about her deal with Gwen.

~End of Part 4~


	5. Chapter 5

**PART 5:**

**ARNOLD WORRIES **

Five minutes later, Arnold and Gerald arrived to tell Sammy what they had learned that day. It was not what she expected.

"You're telling me that Gwen took all the blame?" she asked them, amazed. They nodded.

"She told Principal Wartz that she tripped, spilled the soup, and then Helga ran out crying. That's it," Arnold told her.

"Surely one of the other kids said something about the fight. Didn't he talk to any of them?" she asked. Gerald shook his head.

"No one wanted to disagree with Gwen. I guess she told them to keep their mouths shut before Wartz came in."

"She's good, I'll give her that. But there's got to be some reason she covered for Helga." Sammy frowned. "What's she planning?"

"What makes you think she's planning anything? Maybe she and Helga just got off on the wrong foot," Gerald suggested.

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "Helga had a little run in with Gwen a little while ago. She said they made a deal of some kind, and that Gwen wouldn't pick on Phoebe anymore."

"PHOEBE?" Gerald shouted, making the girls look over at them. Sammy slapped a hand over his mouth, and smiled over at them.

"SHH! I don't think Helga would be too happy if she knew I was telling you two this!" she whispered. She lowered her hand and led the boys near the doors. "Apparently Gwen started picking on Phoebe this morning. That's why Helga was standing up to her."

"So, Gwen won't pick on Phoebe. But what does she get out of this deal?" Arnold asked, suspicious.

"That's just it, I don't know. Helga won't tell, and that really scares me. I spoke to Gwen at recess when I returned Helga's clothes, remember?" The boys nodded. "Well, I got a funny feeling from her. A BAD feeling. I think she's dangerous, and the fact that Helga made a deal with her really worries me."

"So, what do we do about it?" Arnold asked.

"Gerald, talk to Fuzzy Slippers. See what he can come up with on Gwen. There's gotta be something he can tell us about her; where she's from, what happened there, why she left. Something that can help us."

"Don't worry, Sam. If there's something on Gwen, my man Fuzzy Slippers will know." Gerald smiled confidently.

"I hope so, Gerald," she said and turned to the other boy. "Arnold, I want you to keep an eye on the girls. All three: Helga, Phoebe AND Gwen. Let me know if any of them start acting strange." Gerald laughed.

"With Helga, it'll be hard to tell." Sammy frowned at him.

"That's enough, Gerald. This is serious. I don't know what Gwen's up to, and until I do, I want you guys to keep a close eye on the girls. You see them a lot more than I do, and you'd know if something was wrong."

"You can count on us, Sammy," Arnold said, smiling. Sam smiled back.

"Good boys. Thanks!"

The boys left and Sam turned back to the girls. Helga was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"What was that about?" she asked, suspiciously. Sammy shrugged.

"They just had some info for me about the lunch incident. No one said anything, because no one saw anything. You're off the hook."

"Oh." Helga returned to her chore. Phoebe was still looking at Sam. The librarian shook her head quickly and winked. The girl nodded, and turned to help Helga, once again.

Over the next two weeks, the two girls carried out their parts of the deal. Gwen left Phoebe alone, and Helga stopped going to Sammy almost completely. When Helga did go to see her, she only told Sammy little things. She didn't talk to her like she used to, and that confused and worried Sam. Helga was also going crazy, because she had a lot to tell Sammy about. Like Gwen.

Instead of picking on Phoebe, Gwen picked on Helga. It started out as little things. Spitwads, spilled paint, chewing gum in the hair. If it had stayed like that, Helga could have ignored it. But as the week continued, Gwen's 'pranks' got steadily worse.

A kickball in the face at recess. A hard kick in the shin during class. A few pokes with a sharpened pencil. A heavy book dropped on a hand. A hard stamp on the foot. With each incident, Helga became more and more afraid of Gwen. She jumped at every loud sound, and flinched whenever anyone came near her. Her personality had changed so much in such a short amount of time the other kids in class were starting to notice.

"Gerald, have you noticed how quiet Helga has been lately?" Arnold asked one day at lunch.

"Yeah, it's been like heaven."

"Gwen's been picking on her a lot. Maybe we should do something."

"Arnold, are you nuts?" Gerald asked his friend. "It's about time someone picked on Helga the way she picked on us! She's getting what she deserves."

"I don't know, Gerald. Helga could be annoying, but Gwen is just being MEAN."

"Come on, Arnold," Stinky said. "Gerald's right. Helga's been picking on us for years! Now it's her turn to be on the receiving end for a change."

"Yeah!" agreed Harold. "I like it this way! She hasn't called me 'Pink Boy' for over a week! It's great!"

"But she didn't do half the things that Gwen is doing! Helga stuck mostly with insults and teasing, but Gwen is hitting her! For no reason!" Arnold argued.

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you go down to the library and talk to Sam about it?" Sid offered. "Helga talks to her a lot. If anybody would know anything, Sammy would."

Arnold's eyes lit up. He had almost forgot about the promise he had made to Sammy!

"That's right! Thanks, Sid!" he said, and rushed out of the cafeteria. Gerald turned to Sid.

"Yeah, thanks Sid." he said sarcastically. Sid shrugged and the boys returned to their lunches.

Arnold reached the library and went over to the counter. Sammy's carrots were there but the librarian herself was nowhere to be seen.

"Sammy?" he called.

"Arnold?" she asked. Her voice was coming from under the counter. He walked around and found her on the floor with a rolled up newspaper.

"What are you doing?" he asked, laughing.

"A spider ran across the counter and crawled underneath."

"So?"

"So, all I could think about was that icky little thing crawling up my pant leg or something. I can't stand spiders. EEWWW!" she screamed and jumped back so fast she hit her head on the door to the office. "Ow."

"What?"

"It's right there. Arnold, be a prince and go back there and kill it. Please?" she pleaded and held out the newspaper. Arnold puffed out his chest and took it.

"Sure thing, ma'am," he joked in a deep voice. He crawled under the counter and Sam heard a sharp 'WHAP'. Then Arnold was standing again. He held out the newspaper for her to see the spider smear on the top.

"My hero!" she exclaimed and kissed his forehead. He blushed and threw the killer newspaper in the trash.

"So, is there a reason for your visit, or did you just sense a lady in need?" she joked.

"Actually, I came here because of Helga." She looked at him with a strange expression.

"Helga?"

"Yeah. Has she said anything to you about Gwen lately?" he asked. Sammy shook her head.

"I hardly see her anymore. And when I do, she barely talks to me about anything. Well, she talks to me, but she doesn't REALLY talk to me. You know what I mean?" she asked. Arnold nodded.

"You mean she talks to you without really saying anything." Sammy smiled.

"Right! The only thing she talks about anymore is schoolwork. That's it. It's just not like her."

"I think something's wrong," he told her, quietly.

"Why? What's happening?"

"Gwen is picking on Helga. I mean REALLY picking on her. Not the normal stuff that Helga did. Meaner stuff."

"Like what?"

Arnold told Sam about everything Gwen was doing to Helga. The more Arnold spoke, the less she liked.

"Then why won't she tell me? Why is she-" Sammy stopped and a strange look spread across her face.

"What? What is it?" Arnold asked, confused. Sammy was shaking her head.

"How could I have been so stupid?" she asked. To Arnold, it sounded like she was speaking to herself. "It was so obvious."

"WHAT?" Arnold was starting to get a little annoyed. Sammy looked up at him.

"We just found out what Helga's part of the deal is."

"We did? Did I miss something?"

"Gwen wasn't too pleased when I stopped by and spoke to her at recess that day the other week. I'll bet she made Helga stop talking to me. And since she promised not to pick on Phoebe anymore, she needed a new victim."

"Helga," Arnold said, feeling the pieces fall into place. Everything Gwen did, she only did to Helga. Gwen never went near any of the other kids. Only Helga.

"What are we going to do? We can't let Gwen get away with this."

"Well, I can't do anything. Otherwise Helga will get it worse than she's getting it now. I don't want to get you in the middle of this, either. But let Helga know you're there for her if she ever needs to talk. And keep an eye on them. I may not be allowed to get involved, but Gwen never said anything about anybody else."

"What makes you think Helga will talk to me?" he asked. Sammy smiled.

"She will. She has to talk to someone, and she likes you more than she lets on." _A lot more, _she thought but didn't say. Arnold shrugged.

"Okay. If you say so." At that moment the bell ending lunch rang.

"You better get to class. And keep me informed." Arnold nodded and walked quickly to his locker.

After school, Arnold stayed behind and walked up to Helga. She didn't scowl at him like she usually did, in fact she looked a little afraid of him.

"Hey, Helga."

"What do you want, Football Head?" she asked, and Arnold was a little surprised to hear no sarcasm in her voice. Just sadness.

"How have you been? Are you okay?" he asked cautiously. He didn't want to jump right in without testing her mood. She shrugged.

"Does it matter?" she asked, emotionless. Arnold thought about how to proceed.

"The reason I ask is, well, you haven't exactly been yourself lately." At this, Helga laughed.

"Does that really bother you, Arnold? You've got no one to pick on you now. I would have thought you'd be happy." She turned away from him. "Everyone else is." she said softly. Arnold thought for a minute, then decided to plunge ahead.

"I know what Gwen is doing to you, Helga," he said, quietly. Helga turned sharply and looked at him with scared eyes. "I spoke with Sammy today. She says you haven't been down to see her that often. She thinks it's because Gwen won't let you."

"Stay out of it, Arnold!" she pleaded. "Tell Sammy I'm sorry I haven't been talking to her, and that she's right. It's because of HER." Helga looked close to tears now, and Arnold hated seeing her like that. It kind of hurt his heart.

"You better get out of here, Arnold. If she sees you talking to me, she might start on you. I don't want anyone else to get into this mess," Helga whispered. Her eyes were wide and scared, like a rabbit caught in a trap. Arnold was suddenly very angry at Gwen. How could she scare someone like that?

"Okay, Helga. Just remember, just because you can't talk to Sammy, that doesn't mean you can't talk to me," he said and walked out of the classroom before she could say anything.

As he walked to his locker, Arnold thought about what he had just done.

_Helga has picked on me for as long as I can remember, _he thought._ Why should I even care about someone picking on her? Maybe the other guys are right. Maybe she DOES deserve it. Why am I sticking my nose in her business?_

He opened his locker and put his books inside.

_Because it's not right, _he answered himself. _What Gwen's doing is wrong. Helga was never THAT bad. Never that MEAN. And she never looked that scared before._

Arnold started walking home, wondering if Helga would talk to him about this. He argued with himself for a while, then decided to just wait and see.

Deep down, he was hoping she would.

~End of Part 5~


	6. Chapter 6

**PART 6:**

**HELGA GOES TO ARNOLD**

Arnold left, leaving Helga to deal with the conflicting emotions created by his sudden concern for her. Under normal circumstances, she would have been elated to know that Arnold cared for her. These, however, were not normal circumstances. Under these circumstances, she was scared. She feared for his (and her) safety. If Gwen found out he knew . . .

Helga pushed that thought away quickly. She would just have to make sure that Gwen DIDN'T find out. She would have to protect Arnold like she protected Phoebe. Scared or not, Helga was still very good at hiding things. She just hoped she was good enough.

Helga gathered her things and headed towards her locker. On the way, she ran into her bully.

"Hey, Pinkie," Gwen said, almost casually.

"Hi, Gwen," Helga answered immediately. She had learned the dangers of not answering, or answering slow. They had almost passed each other and Helga thought she was going to get off easy today. Suddenly, Gwen stuck out her foot.

"WHOOPS!" the big girl shouted as Helga went flat. "How clumsy of you!" Gwen laughed meanly, and continued on her way home.

Helga sighed. In a way, she had been right. She HAD gotten off easy. Gwen could have done something much worse. Something much more painful. She slowly collected her books and papers, and continued toward her locker.

On her way home, Helga thought about her situation. How had things gone so wrong? Gwen seemed to have had it in for her since day one. Why? She was nice to everyone else. Why did Gwen hate her so much?

While Helga pondered this, she wasn't aware of Phoebe running to catch up with her from behind. The small girl called Helga's name, and noticed worriedly how her friend jumped at the sound.

"It's just me Helga," Phoebe said as she caught up with the blonde. Helga looked momentarily startled, then smiled weakly.

"Sorry, Phoebs. I guess I was just lost in my thoughts."

"We haven't really spoken lately. Is there something the matter?" Phoebe asked her friend. Helga shook her head.

"Nah, I just don't have anything to say, that's all. No biggie." Helga was shooting quick glances in all directions, searching for Gwen.

"Oh." Phoebe didn't buy it. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she knew SOMETHING was, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with Gwen. And the deal she and Helga had made.

"Listen, Phoebe, I gotta go," Helga said nervously. "I've got a lot of stuff to take care of at home. Maybe I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, Helga. See you," Phoebe said and Helga ran for home. The sight of Helga running scared like that settled things for Phoebe. She was going to see Sammy. Right now.

"Hi, Phoebs! What brings you here?" Sammy asked when she found her small friend on the doorstep. Then she saw the look on Phoebe's face. "What's the matter? Come in here."

"What's wrong with Helga?" Phoebe demanded as Sam ushered her into the living room. "You know, don't you? Tell me what's wrong with her!"

"Phoebe! Calm down!"

"I will not calm down! Not until you tell me what you know!" Phoebe was close to tears. Sammy took the small girl's face in her hands.

"Phoebe listen to me," she said gently. "I want you to concentrate on your breathing."

"WHAT? How can you expect me to-"

"CONCENTRATE. Breathe in, and out. In, out. In, and out." Phoebe did as she was told, and little by little she calmed down. Sammy let go of her face, and led her over to the couch.

"Now then. As far as Helga goes, you tell me what you know, and I'll see if I can fill in the blanks," she said. Phoebe took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I really don't know that much. I know Gwen has been picking on Helga, but I don't know to what extent. Helga doesn't talk to me anymore."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Sam muttered. "But don't you sit in front of her in class?" Phoebe shook her head.

"Not anymore. After that day with the lunch incident, Gwen sits there. I had to move over by Rhonda."

"Don't you two sit together at lunch? Or on the bus?" Phoebe shook her head again.

"No. Gwen sits with her at lunch, and I'm still kind of afraid of her. Helga sits by herself on the bus. She doesn't talk to, or even LOOK at anyone." She lowered her head. "I'm really getting worried."

"Gwen's separating her from everyone. Classic abuser behavior," Sam whispered. She looked at Phoebe. "Remember that day the two of you came to the library after school? For Helga's detention?" Phoebe nodded. "Remember how she said that Gwen wouldn't pick on you anymore? I think she's taken your place as the victim. Instead of picking on you, Gwen is picking on her." Phoebe's eyes were wide.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered. "We have to help her."

"We will. Just let me think of a way how." Sammy leaned back, crossed her arms, and rapidly drummed her fingers. After a few minutes, her eyebrows shot up and she leaned forward. "Okay, I got it. Here's what I want you to do." she said, pulling Phoebe close.

Sammy spoke, and Phoebe listened, nodding.

That evening, after dinner, Arnold was in his room working on his computer. Or attempting to, at least. He couldn't concentrate on his homework, all he kept thinking of was Helga. Now that Sammy had opened his eyes to the situation, he couldn't ignore it. There was no denying it; he was worried about Helga.

Arnold stretched and sighed. He shut down his computer, pushed away from his desk and started towards the door. If he couldn't work, at least he could head downstairs for a snack. He wondered if he should talk to his grandpa about this. Maybe Grandpa would know what to do.

He was about to open the door when he heard the tapping. His hand hovered above the doorknob, slightly shaking. The sound came again. A light tapping, almost like a bird walking on his skylight. But it was dark, there were no birds out now. Again. It couldn't be the wind blowing something across it, there WAS no wind and the sound was too regular. SOMEONE was up there. SOMEONE was looking in on him. He heard a familiar sound and forced himself to look up. That SOMEONE was now opening the skylight. A head appeared inside, it's face hidden by shadows.

_Oh, no,_ he thought, terrified. _It's GWEN! She found out I spoke to Helga and now she's come to 'convince' me to stay out of it! _

"Arnold?" He was so convinced the intruder was Gwen, that for a split second he actually SAW her. He blinked hard, then opened his eyes.

"Helga?" he asked, his voice a combination of relief and confusion. She was climbing inside, a look of worry on her face.

"I'm sorry to come so late, but it was the only time I was sure Gwen wouldn't find out," she said, still looking a bit scared. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay, Helga. I'm just glad you weren't someone else." His heart was still beating fast and he took a few deep breaths to calm it. She smiled wearily.

"Yeah, I think I know who you mean," she said quietly. "Are you busy? I could come back. Or not. Whichever you prefer." Arnold was shocked. He had never heard Helga sound so restrained.

"No, I really wasn't doing anything important. I was just heading downstairs for a snack. Would you like something?" he offered. She shook her head.

"No thanks. I would like to talk, though." She looked at him shyly. "If your offer still stands, that is."

"Sure, Helga," he said with a smile. "Have a seat." He motioned her toward the bed while he pulled his desk chair over for himself. She sat with her head lowered, looking at her hands folded in her lap.

"I'm not sure how to start."

"Start at the beginning. Take your time, and tell me everything."

Helga smiled at that. _He sounds just like Sammy._ At the thought of the librarian, she felt a sting of sorrow. She really missed her red haired friend. She took a deep breath and began.

"This all started on the first day Gwen arrived," she said.

She told Arnold everything that had happened between then and now. Every trip, smack, punch, and poke. Every insult. Every threat. She would not look at him, only down at her hands. As she spoke, she noticed tears dripping on them and realized she was crying. She wasn't bothered by her tears anymore; since Gwen arrived, she found herself crying more often. Sometimes, she cried because of fear. Sometimes because of loneliness. And sometimes, she cried simply because she could think of no reason not to.

Arnold listened to Helga's tale with growing horror. He knew Gwen had been picking on her, but he wasn't aware it had gotten this bad. He found himself angry at Gwen all over again. Then Helga was crying and he forgot his anger. His heart opened to this poor, scared little girl. He moved beside Helga on the bed and put an arm around her.

"Shhh. It's okay, Helga," he said gently when she had finished. "It's going to be okay." She pushed away and looked at him with wide, scared eyes.

"No it's not, Arnold!" she cried. "Don't you see? Gwen's got me penned in! If I go to Sammy, she'll pound me. If I go to Mr. Simmons or Principal Wartz, she'll pound me. If I go to Phoebe, she'll pound HER. If she ever found out I came to you, she'd probably pound us BOTH! I'm trapped, Arnold! There's no way out!"

"That's what you thought when Big Patty wanted to pound you," he reminded her. "But she didn't."

"That's just because you talked to her. If you hadn't, she would have killed me."

"Maybe that's all this situation needs. Maybe if I talk to Gwen, she'll lay off." Helga had a look of pure terror on her face.

"No!" she whispered. "Don't you dare! She's smart, Arnold. She's very smart. She'll tell you one thing, then turn around and clobber me. But she'll make it look like an accident. Like I just fell down the stairs, or ran into a door. She knows how to hit to hide the marks."

"How bad is it, Helga?" Arnold asked through lips that felt numb. "How bad is she hurting you?" She looked at him for a minute, then sighed and carefully slid her dress up five inches. He gasped at what he saw there.

On the outside of her thigh was an ugly three-inch long, dark purple bruise. It was swollen a little and starting to turn yellow in places. It couldn't have been more than three days old. She lowered her dress, then showed him a trio of horrible scratches on her arm that her sleeve did a wonderful job of hiding. They looked like they came from very sharp fingernails.

"Oh, my . . ." Arnold breathed. He looked Helga in the eyes. "She did this to you? She hurt you like that?" Helga looked away.

"There are other marks I can't show you. She's really strong. Once, I was sure she was going to break my arm. She didn't, but she could have. She does that a lot. She shows me what she COULD do." She turned back to him. "I'm really scared, Arnold. I don't know what to do."

She started to cry, openly and without embarrassment. Arnold moved forward and, before Helga could pull away, embraced her. He had never seen her like this before, and it hurt his heart to see it now. She cried harder and hugged him back. They sat that way for a time, two friends, one seeking help, the other providing comfort. Eventually, Helga quieted and her tears slowed.

"We're going to do something about this, Helga. Sammy had Gerald check with Fuzzy Slippers, and as soon as he finds something out, we'll take care of Gwen," he told her softly. "I hate to ask this after seeing what she's doing to you, but can you hang in there for a little longer? Just until we get some sort of plan together?" She sighed.

"I've hung on this long, haven't I? I guess I can hold out a little longer." She thought. "Is Sam mad at me?"

"No, why would she be mad?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know, I just thought maybe she would be," she answered quietly.

"She's not mad at you, Helga, she's worried about you. She really cares about you and she doesn't like to see anything happen to you." He thought. "Course, I think it's probably a good thing she doesn't know about those injuries of yours."

"Why?"

"Because if she did, she would go after Gwen and end up in prison for murder," he joked, making Helga laugh a little.

"Yeah, she IS kinda overprotective of me." She smiled. "But I like having SOMEONE care about me. Even if no one else does."

"Believe it or not Helga, you DO have friends. And we care about you just as much as Sammy does." She looked at him, shocked. He nodded. "That's right, I said 'we'. I consider you a friend, even though you make fun of me and tease me and call me names. And I hate seeing any of my friends get bullied."

"Even if I'M the bully?" she asked quietly.

"You were never really a 'bully', Helga. You could just be kind of . . . " he searched for the right word. "Annoying. You never hit anyone without reason, or acted just plain EVIL, like Gwen does. You two are NOTHING alike."

"That's a relief." She looked over and saw the time. "Oh, jeez. I'd better get home before my parents find me missing. Not that they would care, mind you. I just don't want to hear Big Bob yelling at me." She started climbing the ladder to the skylight when Arnold called her name.

"Why don't you just use the front door? I could walk you home." Helga thought about this, then shook her head.

"Nah, that's okay. I came in this way, I'll leave this way. Besides, I don't want anyone to see us together." He gave her an annoyed look and she smiled. "Don't worry, it's not why you think. I just don't want HER to find out. Who knows what she would do?" Arnold thought about this and shrugged.

"Okay, Helga. Be careful. Good night."

"I will. Good night, Arnold." She reached the top, let herself out, then turned back and looked inside. He was still watching after her, face full of worry. She poked her head inside the window.

"Hey, Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said and smiled. He smiled back.

"Any time, Helga."

She pulled her head back out, closed the window, and was gone. Arnold thought about the situation. So much had changed in such a short period of time!

_Poor Helga, _he thought. _How does she stand it? I don't think she can last much longer. We've gotta move fast. I'll talk to Sammy tomorrow and let her know what's going on. Hopefully she can some up with something before it's too late. Before this goes any further._

Not feeling at all hungry, Arnold decided to take a shower to try and relax a little. It almost worked, but by the time he went to bed he was just as upset and worried as he was before. Thoughts flew through his mind in a whirlwind.

He hoped Helga had gotten home safely.

He hoped Sammy could come up with a plan to stop this.

He hoped Gwen wouldn't find out about tonight and take it all out on Helga.

He hoped he would be able to fall asleep with all these images running around in his head.

He hoped . . .

The thought was lost as sleep invaded the corners of his mind, dragging him down. His slumber was dreamless, totally dark.

Arnold didn't know it, but this entire situation was almost over. Unfortunately, it was downhill the rest of the way.

And it was going to be a VERY bumpy ride.

~End of Part 6~


	7. Chapter 7

**PART 7:**

**IT ENDS**

Arnold arrived at school early the next day, and went straight to the library. He was hoping Sammy had come in early as well, and was in luck. She was busy putting books away as he stepped inside.

"Sammy, I need to talk to you," he said as he hurried over. She took one look at the expression on his face, nodded and led him over to a table.

"What's on your mind, little man?" she asked as they sat down. He thought for a minute, then looked at her.

"Has Gerald found anything out from Fuzzy Slippers yet?" he asked.

"No, he said Fuzzy went on vacation with his family last week. They came back a few days ago and Gerald asked him then. He said I should have an answer by today or tomorrow. Why?"

"I just think this needs to end. Soon." Sammy was looking at him suspiciously.

"What happened, Arnold? Did Helga come to you?" Arnold looked around to make sure they were still alone, then nodded.

"Last night. She waited until dark so SHE wouldn't find out. She came in through my skylight."

"Well, what happened? What did she say? Is she all right?"

"She said she was scared and that she couldn't go to anyone. She was really worried about coming to me, she didn't want Gwen to find out and maybe take it out on both of us. And she showed me . . . " he trailed off, not knowing if he should continue.

"She showed you what?" Sammy asked.

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Showed you what?" she insisted.

"I don't want you to get mad."

"You're getting me mad right now, Arnold. She showed you WHAT?" she asked, hoping against hope it wasn't what she was thinking. Unfortunately, it was.

"She showed me a big bruise and some bad scratches that Gwen had given her. She said she had others she couldn't show me, and that Gwen had almost broken her arm once," he told her, looking worried all over again.

Sammy looked at him for a minute, and Arnold was starting to get a little scared. He didn't like the expression on her face one bit. He started backing away.

"She's HITTING Helga. She's HURTING Helga. She's SCARING Helga," Sam was saying quietly. Arnold was still backing away, nearly terrified.

Suddenly Sam grabbed one of the nearest books, did a half-turn and flung it across the room as hard as she could. It flew and hit the far wall, breaking the spine. Pages fluttered to the floor like lost butterflies. Sam turned toward a very scared Arnold with a much calmer look on her face.

"There. I'll have to replace that book out of my own pocket, but at least I feel a little better. I'm sorry if I scared you, Arnold, but I don't like the idea of someone hurting anyone I care about. And I really care about you kids. ALL of you," she said, stood, and walked over to the newly destroyed book. Arnold followed her.

"Do you have a plan? Any ideas at all?" he asked. She gathered up the mess, then turned to him.

"I have the makings of a plan, but I'll have to wait until I talk to Gerald to finish it. We need to know as much as we can about the enemy before we can hope to stop her. And right now, we know squat."

"Great. So what'll we do until then?" he asked, following her to the counter.

"Just play dumb. Don't talk to Helga, or Gwen. Don't let her know that anything's changed." Arnold looked at her doubtfully. "I mean it Arnold! I know you. You're going to try to talk to them and get them to work it out. It won't work. If we want to keep Helga from getting hurt any more than she already is, we need to keep our heads down."

"Okay, Sammy. If you think so."

"I think so. You better get going. I don't know when Gwen arrives in the morning, and I don't want her to know we've been talking. Just in case," she said, looking out at the kids flowing through the halls.

"Right. Let me know what you come up with," he said and merged with the traffic.

"Right. I just hope what I come up with will work," Sam muttered to herself and look disgustedly down at the mangled book. Sometimes her temper could be as bad as, if not worse than, Helga's. She wondered what Gwen's temper was like, and was surprised to discover she didn't know if she wanted to see it or not. She was pretty sure she would find out, one way or another.

What happened later that day might not have happened at all if Arnold had just turned his football shaped head slightly to the left as he exited the library. He would have seen the person standing there. The person who had been standing there almost the whole time he was inside. The person who had heard the whole conversation between boy and librarian. The person who was now smiling an impossibly evil grin.

"Oh, Pinkie," Gwen growled. "You've been a very bad little girl, haven't you? You broke our deal. That wasn't very nice. Or smart." She joined the herd of kids traveling through the hall, laughing to herself.

She visited her locker and went to the classroom, casually looking around at her classmates. Phoebe was talking to Mr. Simmons, making Gwen remember what HER part of the deal was.

_Pinkie broke HER part of the deal, _she thought. _What's to stop me from breaking mine and giving little miss four eyes a good whomping? It'll be easy, one good punch will probably send the little geek into la la land._

Phoebe and Mr. Simmons noticed her staring at them, so Gwen produced a look of pure innocence and waved. Puzzled, they waved back. Gwen turned and took her seat.

_Nah, that would be a little too easy. Besides, that would tip my hand too soon. I don't want Pinkie to know that I know until I can get her alone. No interruptions. _She grinned. _No witnesses._

Phoebe looked back and saw that horrid grin on Gwen's face, and her stomach churned. How she hated that smile!

"Hi, Phoebs."

Helga walked into the classroom, greeted her friend, and moved straight to her seat. When she walked by, Gwen looked up at her and smiled even wider. Helga didn't notice, she tries not to look at her bully if she could help it. Phoebe, however, did notice. The big girl's smile had changed. Phoebe couldn't explain how, but it went from bad to worse, and she didn't like it. It looked like Gwen was planning something. Something bad.

Arnold came through the door then, and Phoebe noticed the looks Gwen shot at him. Something was up. She was about talk to him when the bell rang, signaling the start of the day. Lunchtime then.

During the morning classes, Helga started getting worried. Gwen wasn't doing anything to her. She didn't slap or kick her. When she got up to sharpen her pencil, she didn't stomp on Helga's foot as always or poke her with the newly sharpened point on her way back to her seat. This scared Helga more than anything else Gwen had ever done to her.

At lunchtime, Gwen continued her silence. Helga was really starting to worry and just picked at her lunch. She jumped whenever Gwen moved. If she were planning something, why doesn't she just do it and get it over with?

On the other side of the cafeteria, Phoebe and Arnold watched the spectacle from their own table.

"What do you think is going on?" Phoebe asked. Arnold shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. She's been awfully quiet today."

"Yes, very quiet." She looked around and noticed someone missing. "Where's Gerald? Has he spoken to Fuzzy Slippers yet?"

"I think he talked to him last night. He had a dentist appointment this morning, and should be in soon." He took another bite of his sandwich.

"I hope he discovered something useful. I miss Helga," she said quietly.

"Yeah, me too," Arnold agreed softly.

Gerald returned to school just after lunch. He was unusually quiet and barely spoke to anyone, including Arnold. During recess, Arnold and Phoebe cornered him and pumped him for information.

"Did you talk to Fuzzy Slippers?" Arnold asked.

"What did he say?" Phoebe questioned. Gerald looked from one to the other, sighed, and looked around for Gwen. She was on the kickball field, completely absorbed in the game and totally ignoring a nervous Helga.

"He said Gwen was bad news. REALLY bad news." He relayed the information Fuzzy Slippers had given him to his friends, watching as their eyes became wider and wider. When he finished, Phoebe was shaking and Arnold looked in shock.

"So, what do we do now?" Gerald asked quietly. Arnold closed his eyes tightly, shook his head and took control.

"Gerald, you and I are going to the library immediately after school today and you're going to tell Sammy exactly what you told us. Phoebe?" he said, turning to the girl. "Are you up to helping us?"

"Anything to get rid of that girl," she said, trying to regain her composure. The boys smiled.

"All right. While we go to Sam, you're going to make a few stops after the last bell rings. In order for my plan to work, we're going to need some help. Listen up, guys. This is what we're gonna do," he said, pulling them close.

He told them his plan, hoping it would work smoothly.

The rest of the day went as strangely as the morning. Gwen was still quiet, Helga was still worried, and the three friends waited patiently for the last bell.

At last it rang, and Phoebe was out of the room like a shot to accomplish her assigned tasks. Gerald and Arnold were out just as fast and on their way to the library as Helga hurried to her locker. Gwen watched them all leave and waited until the room was empty before leaving herself.

At her locker, Helga tried to calm herself enough to finish and get out of the school before Gwen arrived. Her tormentor had been very quiet today, and that made her very nervous.

She was almost done when a hand smacked her in the back of the head. Hard. The world went gray, and Helga dropped her hands from the locker a split second before the door was slammed shut.

"You've been bad, Pinkie," a voice hissed in her ear. Strong hands seized her arms and spun her around. Her vision cleared, and Helga had time to notice how red Gwen's face was.

"Hi, Gwen. What's up?" Helga heard herself ask. Gwen sneered.

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?" she screamed and slammed Helga against the lockers each time. Helga's head bounced off them, and the color drained from the world once again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, as she struggled to stay conscious. Gwen shoved her into the lockers once more.

"You know perfectly well, Pinkie." She leaned close. "Remember that little deal we had? That little deal that you broke?" Helga looked at her with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about? I never said anything to Sammy!" she cried. Gwen shoved her again.

"Not your redheaded babysitter, that little dork with the goofy head!" she yelled. "I heard him in the library this morning telling Red how YOU went to him last night. How scared you were, how much I was hurting you, oh boo, oh boo hoo."

Helga was terrified. She had never seen Gwen this angry before, and there was no one around to see what was going to happen. The halls were completely empty. Then Helga saw some movement out of the corner of her eye. She didn't dare look, that would tip off Gwen. There was a blur of white near the floor. Sid's boots. He was moving slowly, walking backwards. Towards the library. Helga wasn't sure if that's where he was really going, but a slim chance was better than no chance at all.

"I'm sorry, Gwen, I just had to go to someone! This whole thing was driving me nuts!" she cried, giving Sid time to escape.

"I'll drive you into the nearest wall, Pinkie! We had a deal, and if you broke your part," she said, grinning, "maybe I should break my part, too." For the first time in weeks, anger was boiling up inside of Helga. She pushed Gwen away from her.

"You stay away from Phoebe!" she shouted. "This whole thing is YOUR fault anyway! If you hadn't started in on me, we never would have made that stupid deal, and we wouldn't even be here in the first place!"

Gwen looked at her with an expression of total surprise on her face. Then the surprise was replaced with anger and that chilling grin resurfaced.

"Oh, Pinkie. You shouldn't have done that," she said quietly and came toward Helga with her hands curled into tight fists.

A minute after the last bell rang, Arnold and Gerald arrived at the library, out of breath and looking very worried. Sammy was there in a flash and she sat the boys down at the nearest table.

"Okay, calm down and fill me in. Gerald, did you find anything out from Fuzzy Slippers?" Gerald nodded.

"He said Gwen and her mother had to move because she was kicked out of every school in the city. For fighting," he said as he got his breath back.

"They kicked her out of every school just for fighting?" Sam asked.

"In her first school, she shoved a kid so hard he hit his head on the pavement and was out cold for three days. In another one, she beat up a girl so bad the kid was in critical condition for a week. In her last school, she punched a teacher in the mouth because she thought he assigned too much homework," he told her. Arnold nodded.

"Her mother was harassed everywhere they went. They had gone through all of the schools and no one would accept Gwen ANYWHERE. They finally had to pack up and move to someplace new, someplace that didn't know about Gwen's reputation so she could go to school and her mother could try to get on with their lives," he added.

Sammy was shocked. How could this kid get into ANY school with a record like that? She grabbed Gerald's shoulder and turned him toward her.

"You're sure this info is true? Fuzzy wouldn't be pulling your leg would he? Just feeding you a line of bunk?"

"My man would not lie to me. His cousin went to school with the girl, and he wouldn't lie about something like this," he said, looking her straight in the eyes. He wasn't lying. Sammy suddenly became very, very scared.

"We have got to do something. I don't want Helga alone with this girl for one more minute," she said. "Listen, this is what-" That was as far as she got when Sid came bursting through the doors.

"Sammy! Come quick! Gwen's got Helga and I think she's gonna pound her!" he screamed. Sammy and the boys were up and out the door before Sid finished talking. Sam had grabbed Sid by the jacket as she ran and was practically carrying him.

"Where are they?" she demanded.

"By Helga's locker!" he called back. Sammy ran faster and it was all the boys could do to keep up.

Gwen slapped Helga across the face with all her might. Helga went down, holding her already swelling cheek and feeling something warm drip over her lips. Her nose was bleeding. A shadow passed over her, blocking out the bright hallway lights.

"Did that hurt, Pinkie?" Gwen asked, her voice filled with mock concern. "Is ums widdle nose bweeding?" Helga wiped the blood leaking from her nose and started getting up. Gwen caught her by the throat and lifted her feet off the ground.

"Whatcha gonna do, Pinkie?" the big girl whispered. "Ya gonna hit me? Go ahead, try it."

Helga was struggling in Gwen's grip, but it wasn't to draw back for a punch. She was struggling to draw breath. Gwen squeezed and Helga's world went gray again. Her lungs screamed for air. Things started to darken, and Helga's terrified mind informed her that she was passing out. She struggled harder. If she passed out now, she may never wake up.

Suddenly the pressure was gone, and she was on the floor. Phoebe was beside her, shaking her and asking if she was all right. She gasped fresh, clean air into her burning throat and looked up. What she saw stopped her in mid-breath.

Big Patty was standing there with Gwen in a half nelson. Gwen was kicking and thrashing in Patty's arms, screaming to be let go. Instead, Patty tightened her grip and turned to the side to keep the kicks from injuring Helga or Phoebe.

"Good work, Patty. . . . . Thank you." Sammy panted when she rounded the corner. She was breathing hard and holding her side where a very painful stitch had taken up residence. A few seconds later Gerald, Arnold and Sid appeared behind her, also breathing hard.

"No problem," Patty answered. Gwen was still struggling, but Patty wasn't even breathing hard. Apparently, she was stronger than any of them first thought. "What do you want me to do with her?" she asked.

"Could you just hold her for a few more minutes?" Sam asked. "While Sid and Gerald go for help?"

"Sure."

Sam and Arnold made their way over to where Helga was still sitting on the floor, as Sid ran for Principal Wartz, and Gerald went for Mr. Simmons. They gave Gwen a wide berth, she was still kicking and screaming. She was also whipping her head backwards in an attempt to hit Patty in the face. Patty merely tightened her grip even more, forcing Gwen's shoulders higher. The girl screamed.

"Knock it off or I'll break both your collarbones," Patty said calmly. Gwen stopped fighting and went limp, glaring at everyone.

Helga, meanwhile, was rubbing her neck and tending to her hurt nose. Phoebe was on one side, Arnold knelt on her other side and Sam bent in front of her.

"Hey, you okay kiddo?" Sammy asked gently. Helga looked at her and almost burst into tears.

"Yeah, I think so." she managed and winced. Her throat was really sore. Sammy put a finger to Helga's lips.

"Shh. Don't try to talk, you'll hurt your throat worse." She turned to Phoebe and Arnold. "Phoebs, run and find a first aid kit, please. Arnold, would you get her some water for her throat? Cool, not cold."

"Sure, Sammy," they answered in unison. Arnold looked at Helga. "We'll be right back, okay?" She nodded and watched them go. Then she turned back to Sammy and saw the librarian on her feet, walking toward Gwen.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the big, tough girl herself, Gwendolyn Pierce." Gwen lunged for Sam, but Patty held her back. "It's all right, Patty, let her go. Let's see how tough she is against someone her own size."

"Are you sure?" Patty asked doubtfully. Sammy nodded.

"I'm sure."

As soon as she was released, Gwen stepped forward and immediately belted Sammy in the mouth. The redhead went down, hand going to her split lip. Apparently Gwen's temper was worse than hers and Helga's combined.

"How do you like that? HUH? See what happens when you stick your nose into other people's business?" Gwen screamed. She then turned back to Helga, who was cringing by the lockers. "Now then, where were we?" she asked, pulling her foot back for a powerful kick. Sammy's heart skipped.

"PATTY!" she screamed, and was relieved to see the 6th grader already pulling Gwen back. Unfortunately, she didn't have a very good grip on her, and Gwen whirled around, punching Patty in the eye.

"Not so tough now, are we Ugly?" Gwen sneered as Patty stumbled back into the lockers. She drew her big fist back for another blow.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOUNG LADY!" Principal Wartz called.

All four girls turned to see him coming up the hallway, with Sid close behind. Mr. Simmons and Gerald appeared from the other direction, cutting off any plans of escape Gwen had.

"What's going on here? Is everyone all right?" Mr. Simmons asked as he bent to help Sam. She pushed his hands away.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, check on the girls!" she ordered. Arnold and Phoebe had returned and were tending to Helga, so he went to Patty. Gwen thought fast.

"Boy, am I glad you're here!" she started, faking relief. "Helga and Patty were fighting and I-"

"Save it," Wartz interrupted. "I think I can figure out what happened here. I want to see you in my office. NOW." He turned to Mr. Simmons and Sammy. "Once you get these girls taken care of, I would like to see all of you in my office ASAP."

"Of course," Mr. Simmons agreed.

"With pleasure," Sammy managed through her already swelling lip. Wartz nodded, took Gwen's arm and led her to his office.

Sammy crawled over to Helga, and was soon joined by Patty, Gerald and Sid as Mr. Simmons went in search of ice. Sam touched her lip, and shook her head.

"I grow up with two older brothers and, aside from the usual childhood injuries, come out basically unscathed. I make it through 12 years of school without incident, only to have a nine year old 4th grader flatten me with one punch. Unbelievable."

"I have to admit, she was pretty strong," Patty agreed.

"How's your eye?"

"I'll let you know once it stops throbbing," she joked. "How's your lip?"

"Is it the size of a grapefruit yet?"

"No," Patty answered, smiling.

"Then I guess it's okay." Sammy thought. "Patty, not that I'm complaining or anything, but what were you doing here in the first place?" The big girl shrugged.

"Phoebe came to see me after the last bell rang. She said Helga was in trouble and that Arnold had a plan to help her. We were on our way to the library when we came upon Gwen choking her. The rest you know."

"Well, thank you Patty. I know you and Helga were never the best of friends," Sam said, and turned to Phoebe. "Nice timing Phoebs."

"It was really all Arnold's idea," she answered, blushing. "He deserves all the credit." It was Arnold's turn to blush.

"I just don't like seeing a friend of mine get picked on." He smiled at Helga, then Sammy. "That's all."

"I'm sorry I got you guys into this," Helga croaked. "This whole thing was all my fault." The others looked at her questioningly.

"Honey, this isn't your fault," Sammy told her and took her hand. "We're here because we care about you. As for our injuries, well, I never could keep my big mouth shut." Patty nodded.

"Yeah, and she just got a lucky punch on me. I wasn't expecting it."

"Gwen was just a grade A loonie, that's all there is to it," Gerald added, and turned to Sammy. "Told ya. Fuzzy wouldn't give me bogus info."

"Well, you thank him for me, okay? We wouldn't have known what we were up against without him. And Sid, thank you for coming down and getting us. If you hadn't been at the right place at the right time, this whole event would have turned out very differently."

"Hey, no problem, Sam," he said. "Glad I could help."

Mr. Simmons returned with the ice, and the girls applied it to their quickly swelling faces. Then he, along with the uninjured kids, tended to the girls, paying particular attention to Helga. Her throat was starting to bruise and she was beginning to lose her voice.

When everyone was pretty much mended, the group traveled to Principal Wartz' office. He had called Gwen's mother and she was waiting inside. She looked horrified at what her daughter had done, but not very surprised. She had seen the results of her child's anger before.

"I suppose you're going to kick her out of school now," Mrs. Pierce said.

"Kicking her out of school won't change her behavior, Mrs. Pierce. Your daughter needs help. I think it would be a good idea if she received some counseling," Sammy suggested. Mr. Simmons nodded.

"Yes, that would be a much better idea. Instead of kicking her out completely, we could simply suspend her and send work home for her. She could seek counseling for her behavior, and perhaps come back later. I have the names of some very gifted counselors I could contact. What do you think, Principal Wartz?" he asked.

"I don't know. The school board's rules are very strict on fighting." He thought, then looked at Sam, Helga and Patty. "What about you three? She attacked you. What do you think?"

Patty and Sam exchanged a glance and the 6th grader shrugged. Sammy nodded and looked at Helga.

"It's really your choice, Helga," she said quietly. "You got the worst of it. What do YOU think?"

Helga looked at Sammy in disbelief. How could she do this to her? How could she pile all this responsibility on her shoulders? Gwen had tormented her, day in and day out for the past two weeks. This was her chance to get rid of her bully once and for all. Her chance to show Gwen what MEAN really meant.

Then another thought wormed it's way into Helga's mind. A picture of her and Arnold sitting on his bed. 'You two are NOTHING alike.' he had said. If she sent Gwen away like this, she WOULD be just like her. Criminey! She hated these moral dilemmas! She lowered her head and thought hard.

Everyone was watching Helga, waiting for her answer. She could almost hear Arnold and Sammy's thoughts, begging her to do the right thing. She chose. She sighed and raised her head.

"I think she should get help," she whispered hoarsely. "Give her two months, and if she doesn't change, kick her out, or send her to juvie hall, or home school her. I really don't care what you do with her, just keep her away from me."

Gwen and her mother were shocked. Gerald and Sid looked at her as though she had lost her mind. Mr. Simmons, Patty and Arnold smiled proudly. Sammy moved close to her and hugged her, smiling.

"Good girl!" she whispered happily. "I knew you'd choose the right thing!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever," she whispered and grimaced. Her throat was really killing her now.

"Principal Wartz? If we're done here, I'd like to take the kids home now. It's getting pretty late, and their parents are probably worried," Sammy said. Wartz nodded.

"Very good, Miss Walker. Mr. Simmons and I will handle things from here, you and the students may go. Thank you."

"No problem, Principal Wartz. Come on kids. Let's go."

On her way out the door, Helga spared one last glance at Gwen. The big girl was watching her with a strange expression on her face. Helga wasn't sure, but she thought it looked like gratitude.

Everyone piled into Sammy's car, and clicked their seatbelts into place.

"So, does everyone want to go straight home, or are you guys up for a little well deserved ice cream?" Sam asked. The response was deafening.

"ICE CREAM!" five voices shouted in unison. Sam looked at the passenger seat and found Helga nodding enthusiastically. She smiled. As if she had any doubt.

"Do you think Gwen will change?" Arnold asked between bites of his banana split. Sam looked up from her sundae.

"I don't know, Arnold. It'll all depend on whether she WANTS to change or not. It's her choice."

"Do you think she'll ever come back to PS 118?" Phoebe asked, a little worried. Sammy shrugged.

"I don't know that either, Phoebs. That's up to Principal Wartz and the school board. And then, the only way she could come back is if she gets her temper under control."

"She was really scary," Phoebe said quietly. Sammy nodded.

"Yeah, she was."

Arnold was sitting across from Helga, and his eyes kept wandering to her injuries. Helga felt him staring and finally looked up. Her voice was completely gone by now, so she raised her eyebrow in a questioning gesture.

"Does your face hurt?" he asked. She shot him a look. 'What do you think?'

"It was my fault she did that to you. She must have found out I went to Sammy," he said, looking upset. "I'm sorry, Helga. I just had to go to her. I was so worried about you."

Helga raised her brow in surprise. Arnold nodded.

"Yes, I know. 'Helga G. Pataki can take care of herself.' I just hated seeing you scared like that. It kinda made me mad." Helga stared at him.

"I'm glad things worked out, and that this whole thing is finally over," Gerald said. "Now things can get back to normal."

He got up and went to throw his trash away. Arnold was starting to get up and follow, when Helga tugged his sleeve.

"Yeah, Helga?"

She tried to talk, discovered her voice gone, and rolled her eyes. She mouthed the words 'Thank you, Arnold.' He smiled.

"Like I said before," he said, "anytime, Helga." Then he left to follow Gerald.

Helga smiled widely and flopped back against the booth. She glanced over and found Sammy smiling at her. The librarian flashed her the 'thumbs up' sign, then stood and called to the others.

"Okay, boys and girls! Let's wrap things up and get you all home before your parents have my picture on 'America's Most Wanted' for kidnapping!"

Sammy dropped all the kids off and explained to the parents why they were late (and in Patty's case, where the black eye came from). She thanked them again for helping, and finally pulled up to the last house, Helga's.

"Do you want me to come in and explain to your folks like I did to all the others?" she asked. Helga shook her head.

"Aren't they going to wonder why you look like you went three rounds with a constipated kangaroo?" Helga shrugged. "Okay, but if they have any questions, have them call me. You go on in and wrap a warm washcloth around your neck. That should help with the swelling, and might bring your voice back."

Helga nodded and waved to her friend. She got out and closed the door when Sam called her name.

"It's over. You don't have to worry about Gwen anymore. Go inside, and relax," she said softly. Helga smiled and nodded. Sammy smiled back, waved and drove off.

Big Bob and Miriam barely noticed their daughter as she went upstairs and drew hot water for a bath. She soaked until the water was almost cold, then washed, climbed out and dressed for bed.

With Gwen gone, a dark cloud was lifted from Helga's heart. For the first time in weeks, she felt inspiration for her poetry. She sat before her Arnold Shrine, writing page after page of love poems for her beloved.

After writing for hours, Helga found herself growing tired. She put away her little pink book, hid the shrine dedicated to her one true love, and turned out the lights. She climbed into bed thinking about how Arnold had looked at her this afternoon.

She slept better than she had since Gwen arrived, and her dreams were sweet and happy. She danced with Arnold in every one.

~fini


End file.
